Spring assembly structure



Sept.`18, 1934. K. D. sTEADLEY 1,974,347

SPRING ASSEMBLY STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 1l, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept 18, 1934 K. D. STEADLEY 1,974,347

SPRING ASSEMBLY STRUCTURE C CU w@ MJ Q dumm/mt 5 Patented" sept. 1s, 1934 1,974,347

treo 4s'rA'rss, PATENT oFFics SPRING ASSEMBLY STRUCTURE Kent D. Stealey, Carthage, Mo. Application December 11, 1933, Serial No. 701,909

4 Claims. (Cl. 5-269) The present invention relates to the manuiacstood that certain terms employed in this speciture of spring assemblies entering into the confication, such as plane, straight, vertical, struction or" bed bottoms, cushions and the like, parallel, horizontal, etc., are not used in an wherein coil springs, arranged in parallel rows, absolute sense but rather in an approximate or have the springs standing opposite each other relative sense. connected by long wire spirals of small size. It Referring again to the drawings it will be seen has for its object to so unite the springs oi two that one of a pair of springs to be united has its adjacent rows that they may have a hingin'g end coil or convolution formed with an ofset poraction relative to each other that will be suiltion that is located in the horizontal plane of m ciently iree,but without undue lo'oseness, and that the coil of which it is a part. Each of such oii- 65 it be practically noiseless when in use, The consets has a central main straight portion 4 and nection of the springs according to the present shoulders 5 uniting the portion 4 to the main invention may be' expeditiously and accurately body of the coil of the spring. The other spring accomplished largely by the use of machinery, of the united pair is formedv with an offset, the

35 the uniting spirals employed are oi relatively central main straight portion, 1G, of which is- 70 small size, since no single coil of such spiral is located in a horizontal plane to one side of the called upon to surround or embrace more than plane of the coil or convolution of which it is a che strand oi the springs which it unites, thus part, being a little `below it in the arrangement p effecting a saving in the cost'of material einbeing described, This oiset has laterally exit@ ployed. tending shoulders 7, similar to the shoulders 5 75 llhat my invention. may he the better underof the other offset, already described, which stood I have illustrated in the accompanying merge into short straight portions 8 that are in drawings two different embodiments thereof. line with each other, but spaced apart. At the Figure i is a plan View of a section of a spring ends of the straight parts the wire of the offset is bed mattress-made according to the present in-` bent downwardly, forming short vertically dis- B0 vention; posed shoulders 9, between and uniting which is Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line the main central portion l0 of the ofrset, the 2-2 of Figure 1; length of which is a little greater than the main Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the central portion 4 of the offset of the opposite 3@ line 3 3 of Figure 2; spring. When the two springs are to be united, 85

Figure 4 is a plan View of a section of a spring the two offsets with which they are respectively bed mattress showing a different embodiment of formed are brought together as represented in the present -invention from that illustrated in the drawings and united by a connector, consist- Figure l; ing of a small bore spiral or helix of wire, 3, that 35 Figure 5 is an edge view of the showing in is caused to encircle portions of each offset, no 90 Figure 4, and. single coil, however, of the spiral' embracing and Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line Z-JZ encircling more than one wire or strand. It will of Figure 4. be seen that the two main central portions, 4

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 8 or the and l0, of the two oisets are parallel with each 40 drawings 2, designates the coil springs which are other, but are located in different horizontal 95 united to form the desired spring assembly. They planes and are not in contact. The longer of are arranged in parallel rows, individual springs these two parallel portions, l0, is below the part standing opposite to each other and being con- 4. t will also be seen that the short straight nected, preferably at both top and bottom by portions 8, of one offset are in the same horizontal spiral coils of wire 3. The terminal coils or the plane as the central portion 4 of the other oiiset springs are formed to have offset portions with and are in line therewith, one at each end therewhich the spirals engage, such offsets being conoi. When thus arranged the spiral 3 that unites structed and assembled in a novel manner to iinthe offsets of the two springs has one or more prove the connections between the Springs. of its coils encircling each of the short straight 5@ In this specication the connections o the portions 8 of one spring and several of its coils springs at one end-the upper-only will be deencircling the central part 4 or the offset of the scribed, it being understood that the connections other spring. When thus arranged and united at the opposite end are similar, so that the spring the spiralhat noypoint encircles more than one assembly may be reversible, either face being used wire at a timeaid-"theportions of the offsets uppermost as desired. It should also be underwith which the spiral directly engages and which it unites are not crossed or overlapped, but rather are in alinement with each other. This arrangement has several advantages: a smaller spiral 3 can be used than is required when the spiral has -to encircle in its course, two or more connected parts by a single one of its coils; and the parts of the springs with which the spiral engages, being in line with each other, the hinging together of the two rows of springs by means of the spiral is improved, and the parts of the oisets ofthe united springs are not at any points in rubbing engagement one with the other, thus reducing to a minimum the tendency to squeaking, and other noises produced by the rubbing of parts when the spring assembly is subjected to pressures in use. The two central portions of the oisets of a pair of united springs, being located in different horizontal planes and one directly over the other and but one of them being engaged by the uniting I spiral, the hinging action as the springs are forced downwardly or upwardly at the joints is free, but without undue looseness of the parts within the coils of the spirals.

' In that form of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 to 6, the two springs in adjacent rows` to be united are designated 20 and 20'. The spring 20 is in construction with diametrically opposite offsets in its end coils identical with the offsets 4 which have already been described, these being located in the plane of the end coil of the spring and designated 40. The spring 20', however, differs from spring 20 in the construction of the oilsets with which its end coil is provided. Thus,

. the main central portion 100 of.this oiset is longer than the main central portion 40 of the offset of spring 20, and it is located in a different horizontal p1ane,-being below,but separate from, close to and parallel with the part 40. At each end of the main central portion 100 of the offset are vertical shoulders uniting it with portions 80 that are located in the samev horizontal plane as is the part 40 of the opposing eifset and opposite to the ends thereof. These parts 80 of the oiset are connected with the normal curved portion of the end coil by shoulders 50. When the springs such as just described are to be hingedly united by spiral 3 they are brought together with the offsets of the respective springs in therelationship illustrated in Figures 4 to 6, the

y main central portions 40 and 100 thereof being directly one above the other, but out oi contact, while the portions 80 of the offset ot spring 20 are opposite the ends of, and in line with, the main central part 40 of the ofl'set of the other spring. When thus arranged the spiral 3 encircles with a plurality of its coils, the part 40 of the oiset of spring 20 while the parts 80 of the other oiset are each encircled by a single turn or coil of the spiral. hinging union of the springs, without undue looseness of parts and insures entire freedom from noise due to the rubbing together of the united parts of the spring when the spring structure is in use. It will be seen, particularly by reference to Figures 5 and 6, that when the springs 20, 20' are united into a spring structure or assembly the upper ends of the springs 20, including the end coils or convolutions thereof, are located in a horizontal plane a little higher than the end convclutions of the springs 20. This I sets.

'I'his insures a. freely diierence in height of the springs is practicallyy negligible in the use of the structure as a. support for a mattress. The result illustrated and just referred to may be secured by making the springs 20 a little shorter than the springs 20, orv by putting springs 20' under a little compression incident to the manner of uniting the springs which has been described, and 'illustrated in the drawings.

It will be observed that at each connectionmof adjacent springs there are employed two ccif structions of offsets formed in the coils of the united springs and that` each spring carries two offsets which are arranged diametrically oppof 1. A spring assembly in which coil springs are arranged in parallel rows, and wherein the springs are also in transverse alinement, those opposite each other in such alinement being united, characterized by the united springs being ,formed each with an offset portion, that of onev spring having a main central section and that of the other spring having two relatively short alining sections united by a central longer section, which is parallel to the short sections, said long section being in a plane below the alined short sections, and the short sectionsbeing located in line with and respectively opposite to the endsY of the straight section of the opposite offset and aesmall bore helix uniting the said springs by engagement with said alining parts of the opposite oii- 2. In a spring assembly wherein coil springs located side by side in alinement are united to form a spring structure, two coil springs .one formed with an offset located inthe plane of its end coil or convolution, and the other spring with an offset comprising a central portion that is in a planebelow that of its end coil, vertical shoulders at the ends of said central part, and laterally extending parts in the plane of the end coil or convolution and uniting the said vertical shoulders with said end coil, the central portions of the oisets of the two springs being of unequal length and that of the rst mentioned springA being disposed above the other, but not in contact therewith, and a spiral uniting the offsets of said springs by engagement with the central part of the rst ofl'set and the laterally extending parts of the second offset.

3. A spring assembly such as described in claim l and further characterized by the described two relatively short aligning sections being joined to the central longer section by other relatively short sections which extend downwardly relative to the top coil of the spring carrying them.

4. A spring assembly suc as described inclaim l and. further characterize 'by the described two relatively short aligning sections lying in a plane above the top coil of the springcarrying them. 

